Liverpool continue to define team identity under Slot in big win versus Leverkusen

Xabi Alonso knows about Anfield’s might all too well from his days as a Liverpool player, and the Spanish manager of the mighty Bayer Leverkusen showed his still in-tact bond to the stadium by touching the hallowed “This is Anfield” sign in the ground’s tunnel on Tuesday night.

The contest between his former club and his current German powerhouse, whose almost perfect record under Alonso has earned them the nickname “Neverlusen,” was billed to be a thrilling one, a clash between Premier League hopefuls and the reigning Bundesliga champions.

But while Alonso’s side played the Reds formidably in the first half of the game, Anfield on a European night proved too great a challenge for Leverkusen to cope with, as a second half explosion for Liverpool saw the game finish with a 4-0 scoreline.

Let me reemphasize–this same Leverkusen squad played 53 games across all competitions in their 2023-2024 campaign, and lost one. One. And in that second half, Liverpool absolutely had their way with them.

Liverpool finds a higher level

Liverpool were, however, probably lucky to take a scoreless match into halftime. They looked lethargic to start the game, and Kostas Tsimikas was fortunate right before the break as he was turned inside out by Jeremie Frimpong on his way to scoring, but the goal was disallowed as the ball inadvertently hit Frimpong on the hand in the buildup.

While they came alive in the second, similar warning signs of sloppy first halves and poor defensive play from the fullback position as seen in other games (Andrew Robertson’s first half performance against Arsenal comes to mind) show that this team is not perfect.

But if you buy into the belief that the end result is all that matters, Liverpool are practically in dreamland right now.

After a win against Brighton propelled them to the top of the Premier League over the weekend, they now sit at the top of the newly formatted Champions League table and are the only European side to take 12 points from 12 in the competition.

“Switching on” in the second half seems to encompass Liverpool’s play style as a club this season, as the Reds have outscored their opponents by a stunning 22-5 margin after halftime across all 16 of their games this season.

This formula is eerily similar to Jürgen Klopp’s uncanny ability to turn games around in the second half during his time with the club.

Lucho Magic makes the difference

After Luis Díaz broke the deadlock in the 61st minute of the game, Liverpool’s tenacity and urgency to build on the lead was palpable through the television monitor, and the second goal of the game came from Cody Gakpo just two minutes later.

Gakpo’s fourth goal in his last three games across all competitions supported Slot’s decision to start the natural winger up front alongside Díaz and Salah against Leverkusen, and his contributions must only make the Liverpool boss more confident in increasing Gakpo’s usage as the season goes on.

While Díaz obviously earns Man of the Match honors for scoring two more to become a hat trick hero, credit must also be given to Curtis Jones, who has looked perhaps more comfortable and confident with the ball at his feet than he ever has.

Ryan Gravenberch’s emergence and contributions to Liverpool’s midfield this season have been well documented, but since his big performance against Chelsea, Jones deserves just as much praise.

In addition to an assist and a match-winning goal against the Blues on Oct. 20, Jones also recorded an assist in the crucial win against Brighton and provided yet another fantastic helper against Leverkusen on Díaz’s opening goal.

He exited the game with a deserved big hand from the Anfield crowd in the 73rd minute.

While it feels like Jones has been in the Liverpool first team for a long time, some forget he is still only 23 years old, and Arne Slot may be the man to help him unlock his full potential.

There is some valid desire for improvement on Liverpool’s back lines as Caoimhin Kelleher needed to produce three fine saves in the span of two minutes late in the game, in addition to Victor Boniface's header from a corner that likely should have been turned home in the 68th minute.

All things considered, this is a bit nitpicky as the Reds have conceded just one goal in four European matches.

Thus far, Arne Slot has proven he is the man for the job and then some, and a win this emphatic against a side with the quality Leverkusen has only been an exclamation point on that claim.

Now more than halfway through their projected run of fixtures from hell which started against Chelsea and will finish against Man City, the Reds have secured 16 of 18 possible points; not bad for a manager in his first season with one of the biggest clubs in the world.